(a) Field
The present invention relates to a rechargeable battery.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery may be repeatedly charged and discharged unlike a primary battery that is not designed to be recharged. A rechargeable battery having a low capacity may be used for a small portable electronic device such as a mobile phone, a laptop computer, and/or a camcorder, and a large capacity battery is widely used as a power source for driving a motor of a hybrid vehicle, etc.
Nowadays, a high power rechargeable battery using a non-aqueous electrolyte of a high energy density has been developed, and the high power rechargeable battery is formed as a large capacity rechargeable battery by coupling in series a plurality of rechargeable batteries to use for driving a motor of a device, for example, an electric vehicle requiring a large amount of electric power. Such a rechargeable battery may be formed in a cylindrical shape or a square shape.
When a conductive foreign material such as a nail, an awl, and the like invades (or punctures) into the rechargeable battery from the outside, an internal short-circuit may occur in the rechargeable battery. When the short-circuit occurs, a temperature in the rechargeable battery may rapidly increase, thereby possibly causing fire or an explosion of the rechargeable battery.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.